Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 cup of fresh raspberries
1/2 cup each of vinegar, oil sugar (honey)
1/2 cup fresh onion
2 cloves fresh garlic
Put in a blender and mix

Makes 3 cups
Can substitute any berry or mango.

Southwestern Brown Rice Salad

08.09.2013

I’ve decided that the way I survive summer in Louisiana is to disappear for a good chunk of July. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that we just got back from a vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii that was magical and adventurous and filled with delicious, delicious food. But this post isn’t about the food we ate there (trust me, there are plenty of those on the way). This was about coming home to the delightful slow suffocation of summer in the deep South after being awake for a good, solid day and a half. And being hot and hungry and tired and dying for something that didn’t come from a diner or an airport or a fast food restaurant along the road.

This salad did the trick. It’s served cold, it’s loaded with feel-good awesomeness like brown rice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and creamy avocado. It’s flavorful but not overpowering, something that you could serve as a side dish or for a light lunch. I’ve talked SO many times about how lunch is the hardest meal for me. I hate it. If I were a Kardashian, I would totally have a lunch person whose sole job would be to take care of my lunch every day (and it wouldn’t be my kids’ uneaten food.)

To make the dressing, you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, honey, the juice and rind of a lime, ground cumin, and some garlic.

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl…

and whisk together until smooth and combined. Set aside (the dressing can be made and refrigerated up to 48 hours before serving).

In a large bowl, combine the rice from this recipe (the exact amount), a chopped jalapeno (seeded or partially seeded if you’re worried about heat; every time I’ve made this, I’ve completely seeded the jalapeno and the salad hasn’t been hot at all), a diced avocado, and 10 ounces of grape tomatoes, halved.

Set aside.

Chop 5-6 green onions and a handful of cilantro…

and toss to combine. Add to the rice mixture and toss (gently–you don’t want to mangle the avocados or de-juice all the tomatoes). Add the dressing and toss again. Season with salt to taste (or allow people to season their own salads). Refrigerate any leftovers immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.

Southwestern Brown Rice Salad
Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:

1 recipe of this brown rice
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you want; I pretty much always want)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5-7 green onions, chopped

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to the directions. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, and cumin. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the rice, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno. Add the cilantro and green onions and toss. Drizzle with the dressing, salt to taste, and serve immediately (or refrigerate…this will be good until the avocados start getting iffy, so about a day.) Makes 6-8 servings.

Garlic Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups jasmine rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon Cumin

¼ teaspoon Chili Powder
3 Cups low-sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
Juice of 2 limes
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat the butter in a large sauce pan skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice and cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn't burn. Add 3 cups of the broth, lime juice and chopped cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is done.

Ranch Flavored Dip | Gluten Free NO MSG

ADAPTED FROM THE $5 DINNER MOM

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon garlic pepper
• Sour cream, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together the first six ingredients down to the pepper. Store in an airtight container.
2. When you are ready to make the dip stir 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture together with ½ cup sour cream. Serve with fresh sliced veggies or whole-wheat pretzels.
3. Save the remaining dry spice mixture in spice cabinet or pantry for another day.

Super quick salsa

Here

Quick and Easy Blender Salsa

By Kelley on January 23, 2012

Let me introduce you to the easiest salsa you’ve ever met. It literally comes together in under 5 minutes. Not only is it easy peasy to prepare but it’s down right delicious. Unlike pico de gallo, it’s more like a salsa you’d get in a Mexican restaurant served with chips before you get dinner.

This is perfect for the winter months when tomatoes aren’t in season but you’re craving a fresh simple appetizer. It’s a go to recipe of mine when we have a houseful of guests. I can throw it together in no time and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. I mean who doesn’t love chips and salsa? If you raised your hand we might have to stop being friends. For reals. Bacon haters and the non fan of chips and salsa are deal breakers in my life. And you think I’m joking.

In a food processor or blender, I combine a can of diced tomatoes, a can of Rotel which is seasoned diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1/2 of a small onion, 1/2 of a jalapeno, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, honey and a few spices. Pulse for 30 seconds and that’s it. I’ve been known to throw in half a cucumber and a carrot before too. This is the kind of salsa that you can’t really screw up. You can follow the recipe below as a guideline and do as you like to make it your own.

It’s the perfect apres nosh after a long day of skiing or snowboarding and the perfect beverage to wash this down is an icy cold beer. Absolute heaven if you ask me.

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, this would be a great easy appetizer to watch the big game. Make sure you’ve got something to serve at half time because this won’t last through the first quarter.

Print

Quick and Easy Blender Salsa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This super simple blender salsa is a great alternative to fresh pico when tomatoes aren't at their best. I use this all winter long and it's my go to recipe for chips and salsa

Ingredients

• 1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1- 10 oz can orginal Rotel
• 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Southwest Pasta Salad

“Can you bring a salad?” “Um…how about a salad?” “A salad would be great, any kind.” “Your assignment: salad”

Seriously, am I the only one who feels like they are constantly taking a salad to something? Parties, pot-lucks, church events, bridal showers- always need a good salad. I think for that reason, I’m always trying to think of new and interesting flavors to incorporate because it seems like you always see the same types of salads. This one is great for a party or gathering because it can sit around without wilting and it’s really unique. It’s also filling. But it’s not just for parties, I’ve actually never taken it to a party. Probably because I just made it up last week. Next party, this salad is invited.

I actually made it a few times, and we love it for lunch and dinner. This salad relies on pasta, but it has just as much, if not more additions so the veggie to pasta ratio is really high. Fresh veggies, black beans, sweet corn and more. It makes a great vegetarian meal, or you can add grilled chicken to make it more filling. I served it with some cheese quesadilla wedges and my whole family (even kiddos!) gobbled it up. This sits well in the fridge too, so you could make it one night for dinner and then take the leftovers to work the next day. Great one-dish meal. Definitely one of my new faves!

See all of the yummy {and healthy!} stuff I packed in there? Black beans, green onions, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, and corn.

I use Barilla Plus Pasta and I love it. (Not a sponsored comment, just my opinion!) If you have a hard time incorporating whole grain pastas (some can be hard and chewy) this one is awesome. You really can’t tell it’s any different than normal but it’s packed with all sorts of healthy stuff. Anyway…

One of my best tips for making a good pasta salad, or pasta in general is to SALT YOUR WATER. Yes I had to yell that because I think a lot of people skip that step. It does wonders for any pasta, but especially a pasta salad, which can often turn out bland.

As soon as your pasta is done, run it under cold water to cool it off.

Place it in a big mixing bowl (you can’t see because I’m so sneaky, but underneath all of that pasta is the zest of a few limes- limes you will be using in the dressing.)

and then dump on all the good stuff! Look at all of those gorgeous veggies- they sing to me. Not really. I’m not a crazy person who hears singing vegetables, but they look purdy, right? In the recipe I only call for one bell pepper, I had a variety so I used a third of a red, yellow, and orange, just for color.

Mix that all up. If you’re adding chicken, then add that here as well. I used Taco Chicken, which I cooked the day before and it was awesome. Any cooked chicken will do, but grilled pairs well with the Southwest flavors.

And then pour on the amazing dressing. You can make the dressing while the pasta is cooking, or even a day or two ahead of time. I started out with Kate’s awesome Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. That dressing is fantastic on its own, but one problem with pasta salads is that they just suck up flavor. I’ve found I have to make dressings that are almost too strong for a regular salad and then they’ll be perfect for a pasta salad. Otherwise they just taste bland. So I started with the vinaigrette, decreased some of the oil, and replaced it with lime juice and additional spices. It’s a party in your mouth I tell ya!

Sprinkle on the cheese just before serving. I used queso fresco, which is a Mexican cheese you can buy at the grocery store. You could easily substitute Cotija (another Mexican cheese you can find at the grocery store) or use grated pepperjack, jack, or cheddar. Or leave the cheese out completely. Honestly, I added it because I think it looks pretty, don’t tell.

Southwest Pasta Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/2 C frozen fresh corn
zest from 2 limes
optional: 8 oz diced cooked chicken (this is fantastic)
1/2 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated mozzerella)

Dressing:
6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
1/4 C red wine vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

To prepare dressing place Boil pasta in salted water until cooked. While it’s cooking, prepare dressing.

First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender. (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil) Process until smooth. With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool. Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest. Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn), and chicken if desired. Toss with dressing. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 side servings